Chick feeder



March 4 1.941 l. A. SHQEMAKE@ .2.234131 cmcx 4Hamam Filed/sept. 5, 19392 Smets-sheet 1 l fr ATTORNEY.

March 4 194i L.. A. SHOEMAKER 234,131 'Y EEDER INVENTR,

am @t/wmf S 5E i M ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 4, 1941 UNITED STATE-S PATENT GFFiiCE 18 Claims.

This invention relates to feeders for baby chicks, or the like, and moreparticularly to those made of sheet material, such as paper board or thelike, and which can be shipped and sold flat and then set up in form foruse by the poultry raiser.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel andimproved construction whereby a feeder of this kind is provided that hasi.` the advantages of relative cheapness, better strength and durabilityin use, as well as certain features of improvement tending to preventinterference in feeding at the opposite sides thereof, as willhereinafter more fully appear.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists inmatters hereinafter set forth and claimed, and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective of a feeder embodying theprinciples of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the feeder.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section on line 3-3 in Fig. 1 of thedrawings.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 4-4 in Fig. 2 of thedrawings.

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the single blank from which the said feeder ismade.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective View showing a different form of theinvention.

Fig. '7 is a plan view of what is sho-wn in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of one end portion of the blank from which thechick feeder shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is made.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises an oblong rectangulartrough like body having side walls I and end walls 2, with a bottom 3and top wall sections 4, the latter having feeding openings 5 therein.Between the said openings there is an integra1 vertical panel formed oftwo sec- 40 tions 6 disposed atwise together.

sections have end tabs 'I that project through the slots 8 in the endwalls 2, the latter tapering upward to the upper edge of said panel, andthe slots 8 being preferably enlarged at the middle to facilitate theinsertion of said tabs. The latter are bent apart, as shown, to keepthem from pulling out, and this is' facilitated by the notch 9 in one ofeach of the two pairs of tabs.

It will be seen that the top wall sections have end tabs I0 to interlockwith the end walls, just above the shoulders I I of said end walls.

Thus the boxlike structure is strong and durable and put together`without any glue or staples or other fastening means.

Preferably the entire feeder is made from a These panel (Cl. 11S-61)single blank cut and formed as shown in Fig. 5 y of the drawings.

The said panel separates the chicks at one side from those at the other,and prevents pecking across the feeder, it being observed that theportions I2 displaced from the feed openings 5 form a base extension ofthe panel into the feeder, thus ineffect dividing the latter into twoparallel separate feed troughs.

The upper edge of the said panel is relatively 10 thin and serves todiscourage roosting thereon, which would be objectionable.

As shown, the ends I3 of the side walls extend a distance beyond the endwalls 2, thus providing strong corner construction. 15g

As shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, the construction is practically the sameas that previously shown and described, except that the tabs I0 areomitted, and the shoulders II are not employed.

Thus a single blank of paper board or similar 20L material forms theentire feeder with its said advantageous panel, upon which latteradvertising matter may be printed if desired.

It will be seen that with the practically or approximately horizontaltop formed by the top 25,v

wall sections 4 of the blank, the feeder can be filled with food,entirely full, as it will not spill out through the openings in the topwall. Also, if any of the chick feed falls on the top wall,

it will not slide off onto the ground, as this wall 3'0.'

seen that parallel fold lines are provided between 353 all of thesesections. In the feeder, after the blank is properly folded, it will beseen that the inner edge of each opening 5 is formed by the base portionof the vertical panel, which latter extends vertically a substantialdistance above 40 the horizontal plane of the said feeding openings. Theblank is easily folded without danger of tearing or breaking any portionthereof. In addition, it will be seen that the vertical panel formed bythe blank sections 6 serves as a longitudinal tie rod to prevent outwarddisplacement of the end walls 2 of the boxlike feeder. This means thatit functions to resist longitudinal o1' endwise bursting strain tendingto blow out the ends of the box. Thus, the top walls 4 are entirely orat 50 least almost relieved of any necessity of holding the end walls 2against outward displacement, the entire blank being held in foldedcondition by the said longitudinal panel, as illustrated in Figs. 6, 7and 8, and practically so in Figs. 1 and 2 55' of the drawings. This isbecause the tabs 1, when bent as shown in Figs. 2 and '7, resist outwarddisplacement of the said end walls of the boxlike structure. Moreover,it is important to observe that the end walls 2 serve to hold the panelor divider 6 against upward displacement. This is because the end wallshave portions that extend over and engage the upper edges of the tabs orinterlocking portions 'I that extend through the slots 8 of the endwalls. Thus the said panel serves to restrain the end walls againstoutward displacement, and the end walls hold the panel against upwarddisplacement.

It is also important to observe that the portions ing openings 5 are notthrown away, as they remain in the feeder to form the base of thevertical panel.

It is important to observe that, in each form of the invention, the foldline between theend wall 2 and the bottom 3 is in alignment withstraight end edges of the sections 4 and 6 of the blank. This tends notonlyto simplify the forming and cutting of the blank, but also thefolding thereof.

What I claim as my invention is: i

1. A feeder for baby chicks or the like, all formed from a singlefoldable blank, comprisingi a rectangular one-piece boxlike structure ofsubstantially greater length than width, having side and top and: bottomand'end walls, the bottom wall extending integrally and continuouslyfrom one side wall to the other', and having a longitudinally disposedvertical panel connecting the two end walls together to serve as a tierod between thev two end walls, preventing outward displacement of thelatter, and serving' also as a divider of substantial height between thetwo op-` posite sides of the feeder, but with the lower edge of saiddivider spaced a distance above said bottom wall, and the fold lines ofthe end walls A being in the same plane as portions of the end` Y- ingtwo sections disposed flatwise together to' form said panel, so that thelatter has two separate edges pressed close together, the end wallshaving vertical slots therein, and the panel sections both having endtabs that engage and interlock with said slots.

4; A structure as Specified in claim 1, said top wall comprising twosections atv opposite sides of said panel, disposed above the lower edgeof the latter, these sections being almost, if not quite, horizontalwhen the feeder is viewed in trans verse cross section.

5. A structure as specied in claim 1, said end walls having portionsthat extend transversely across upper edges of end portions of saidpanel, thus holding the latter down, but with the main portion of saidpanel extending above these upper edges.

6. A structure as speciiied in claim 1, said panel having verticalportions depending within the feeder, which dependingy portions iitopenings in the top wall when the blank isspread out at.

7. A structure as specified in claim 1, said top. wall having' cornerportions that hook around the side edges of the end walls, with thesehook portions spaced apart on the outer side of each endA wall.

8. A structure as specified in claim 1, said top wall having cornerportions that hook around the side edges of the end walls, with thesehook portions spaced apart on the outer side of each end wall, thelatter having shoulders engaging the under side of the top wall.

9. A structure as specified in claim 1, said panel comprisingr twostraight sectionsl held atwise together and held against upwarddisplacement by said end walls, the latter having slots each hold- 'ing'the two sections of the panel pressed to- I2 that are cut out of theblank, to form the feed-5 gether.

10. In a feeder for baby chicks and the like, all formed from a .singlefoldable blank, having a top vwall with feed openings therein, alongitudinal vertical panel extending a distance above said openings,between the openings at one side and those' at the other, with theloweredge of the panel spaced av distance abovethe bottoml of the feeder,and'end walls including engaging means on the opposite ends of thefeeder to positively hold the panel against upward displacement, buthaving separable engagement therewith, and-thel fold lines ofthe endwalls being in the same planes asA portions of the end edges of the top'wall and with portions of the: end edges of the panel, said engagingmeans extending a substantial distance beyond all other parts when theblank is spread out fiat, thus providing end walls' that extend to theupper edge of the panel;

l1. A structure as specified in claim l0, having the botto-m wallextending continuously from end to end and from side to side of thefeeder andl with the lower edge ofthe panel extendingdownward a distanceinto the interiorr of the feeder.

12. A structurev as specifiedl in claim 10, the apertured top wall beingintegral at the transverse middle of theV feeder with. the base of saidpanel, the latter having two separateY top: edges pressed together byengagement ofthe ends of the panel with` the ends of the feeder..

13. A structure as specified in claim 1G, the apertured top wall beingintegral at the transverse middle of the feeder with the base of said`panel, with base portions of the panel fitting said openings when theblank is spread out flat.

14. A feeder for baby chicks or the like, all formed from a singlefoldable blank, comprising a rectangularV boxlike structure ofsubstantiallyy greater length than width, having side and top andbottomv and end walls, and having -a longitudinally disposed verticalpanel connecting the two end walls together to serve as a tie rodbetween the two end walls, preventing outward displacement of thelatter, and servingY alsoy as a divider of substantial height betweenthe twoV opposite sides of the feeder, said panel having verticalportions depending within the feeder, which depending portions topeningsy in the top wall when the blank is spread out iiat.

15. A feeder for baby chicks or the like, all` formed from a singlefoldable blank, comprising 65 a rectangular boxlike structure ofsubstantial1y greater length than width, having side and top and bottomVand end walls, and having a longitudinally disposed vertical panelconnecting the two end walls together to serve as a tie rod between thetwo end walls, preventing outward displacement of the latter, andvserving also as a divider of substantial height betweenthe two oppositesides of the feeder,. said top wallhaving corner portionsthat hookaround the side edges of the end Walls, with these hook portions spacedapart on the outer side of each end Wall, the latter having shouldersengaging the under side of the top Wall.

16. In a feeder for baby chicks and the like, having feed openings inthe top Wall thereof, a longitudinal Vertical panel extending-a distanceabove said openings, between the openings at one side and those at theother, and means on the ends of the feeder to positively hold the panelagainst upward dispmlacement', but having separable engagementtherewith, said top wall being integral at the transverse middle of thebase portions being atwise together in the Work- 10 ing condition of thefeeder.

LOUIS A. SHOEMAKER.

